Naslov
Occurence and geochemistry of arsenic in the groundwater of Eastern Croatia

Autori
Ujević, Magdalena ; Duić, Željko ; Casiot, Corrine ; Sipos, Laszlo ; Santo, Vera ; Dadić, Željko ; Halamić, Josip

Izvornik
Applied geochemistry (0883-2927) 25 (2010), 7; 1017-1029

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
arsenic; speciation; groundwater; hydrogeochemistry; Croatia; Eastern Slavonia

Sažetak
In order to examine the extent of the As contamination and the factors influencing As enrichment in the groundwaters of Eastern Croatia, groundwater samples were collected from 56 production wells, in two counties Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem suspected to be more affected. Hydrochemical analyses were performed at all locations including in situ As speciation at 31 locations. Arsenic was present at 46 out of 56 groundwater samples with total As concentrations up to 491 µg/L. Thirty-six percent of the studied wells yielded groundwaters with total As concentrations that exceeded the WHO Maximum Contaminant Level for arsenic in drinking water of 10 µg/L. Only inorganic As species were detected with arsenite As(III) as the predominant form. Spatial distribution of arsenic in the groundwater was significantly linked with geological, geomorphological and hydrogeological development of the alluvial basin of the Drava and Sava rivers. The most probable groundwater arsenic sources are deeper sediments from the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. The obtained results suggest that biogeochemical processes controlling As concentration in the groundwaters are complex and location specific. Reductive dissolution of iron oxides, desorption of As from iron oxides and/or clay minerals as well as competition for the sorption sites with organic matter and phosphate could be principal mechanisms that control As mobilisation. The extent of those processes vary in the different parts of the Drava and Sava depressions which could be linked to different site related parameters such as lithology, mineralogy, local hydrology and hydrogeology ; thus, different processes of As mobilization have been proposed for the different types of water in relation with groundwater evolution.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Geologija, Kemijsko inženjerstvo, Rudarstvo, nafta i geološko inženjerstvo

POVEZANOST RADA